The guy who just accepted that which was Caesar's from Bolivia's leader (in the form of Christ on the
Hammer and Sickle),
proceeds to...pontificate;
"Do we realize that something is
wrong in a world where there are so many farm workers without land, so
many families without a home, so many laborers without rights, so many
persons whose dignity is not respected? ...
"Do
we realize that system has imposed the mentality of profit at any
price, with no concern for social exclusion or the destruction of
nature?
"If such is the
case, I would insist, let us not be afraid to say it: we want change,
real change, structural change. This system is by now intolerable."
Says the guy whose organization once burned heretics at the stake. But past sins of his predecessors aside, let's look at what the
Catechism of the Catholic Church actually teaches (Commandment #10);
It forbids coveting the goods of another, as the root
of theft, robbery, and fraud....The tenth commandment concerns the intentions of the heart....
Judge not...but, the catechism offers some practical examples;
The sensitive appetite leads us to desire pleasant
things we do not have, e.g., the desire to eat when we are hungry or to
warm ourselves when we are cold. These desires are good in themselves;
but often they exceed the limits of reason and drive us to covet
unjustly what is not ours and belongs to another or is owed to him.
The catechism doesn't
bold that, above, unfortunately.
Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at
the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them
for oneself....
- St. Augustine saw envy as "the diabolical sin."327
"From envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the
misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity."
The is emphasized in the original, the bold is by HSIB.
Envy often comes from pride....
- Would you like to see God glorified by
you? Then rejoice in your brother's progress and you will immediately
give glory to God. Because his servant could conquer envy by rejoicing in the merits of others, God will be praised.
"that system has imposed the mentality of profit at any price"
ReplyDeleteBut, there is no profit at too high a price (no sales), and no profit at too low a price (uh, no profit). Profit at "any price" doesn't work.